Assignment 1-4-3

Written Analysis 2: Rituals and Stereotypes

Kristen Watson

HUMN240-H3WW

Assignment 1-4-3

Gregory Smith

November 25, 2012

Written Analysis 2: Rituals and Stereotypes

I would define a ritual as an activity or something that you do that is frequently repeated. This could be a celebration, special gatherings, or certain religious ceremonies. It is something that is important and has a special meaning to you. According to Ray B. Browne (2005), stereotype is defined as the generalities of life cut down to a fine point concerning a particular subject and directed usually toward a specific goal. We see this happening everyday whether we are grouping certain types of people together or singling them out for a particular reason. With both of these topics defined, we now look at how they both apply to energy drinks and what insight we might gain from them.

When I think of rituals, there are a couple that come to mind that involve energy drinks. A ritual popular among many people of all ages is pre-gaming. This ritual is very popular with football and tends to involve alcohol. It is becoming more and more popular to have energy drinks and mix them with some type of liquor. The effects of drinking the energy drink this way gives you much different results than if you were to just simply drink the energy drink by itself, however, it is a popular way to consume them.  Another ritual that I’ve noticed among people is having their daily morning energy drink. Most people wake up and drink a cup of coffee to get the day started but I’ve noticed at work and at school that there are quite a bit of people who go for a can of Red Bull or a Monster instead.

In regards to stereotyping, this is seen daily when you see advertisements for energy drinks. There are certain target markets for this product and in order to sell it they stereotype people and target the advertisements for them. The different stereotypes range from athletes, college students, shift workers, party-goers, and many more.

After connecting the two topics of ritual and stereotypes to energy drinks, I have noticed that the concept of energy drinks is being abused and used for different reasons than intended. Using the drinks to give alcohol a better taste is not what the product was originally intended for. Also, continuing your ritual of having a daily energy drink might lead to negative effects in the long run even though the short-term results are great.  

References

Browne, Ray B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader (p. 13). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

Assignment 1-4-2

The Relationship Between Myths and Energy Drinks

Kristen Watson

HUMN240-H3WW

Assignment 1-4-2

Gregory Smith

11/18/12

The Relationship Between Myths and Energy Drinks

            The topic I chose to analyze is energy drinks because of the increased consumption among society; which is mainly due to busy and hectic lifestyles. There are a variety of these drinks that are becoming more and more popular in our culture and if we take a look at the concepts of popular beliefs and myths we will see how these topics are connected.

            Popular beliefs are ideas that people think or believe to be true but those ideas are not always based on truth. There seems to be a popular belief that energy drinks contain healthy ingredients which in turn boosts your energy. This is not the case when these drinks are not consumed in moderation. Caffeine and taurine can cause damage in people who consume high dosages. We have recently seen in the news lately that over a dozen deaths have been linked to two popular energy drinks; Monster and 5 Hour Energy. It is clear that this popular belief may seem to be true when just reading labels, however, high consumption of certain ingredients can turn deadly.

            Ray B. Browne (2005) defines myth as “the belief that material superiority automatically brings happiness” (p. 13). This relates very well to energy drinks because majority of people who consume them are in turn happy with the results. They might take a 5 Hour Energy so they can stay up all night studying for an exam or writing an essay and this could very well bring them happiness the following day when they complete the exam with a decent grade or submit their essay. For many this myth is true and for many it is not. Some who consume energy drinks feel absolutely terrible the following day with headaches and severe fatigue and might have forgotten all they took in while studying.

            By looking at these two concepts and relating them to energy drinks we are able to see the negative effects these might have on one person who consumes in excess. It reveals the dangers of certain ingredients. Then again, it also reveals the fulfillment of happiness you can receive when consuming in moderation and completing the tasks that you normally would have been unable to complete.

References

Browne, Ray B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader (p. 13). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

Icon Analysis

The popular culture contemporary icons that I chose are Ellen DeGeneres, Brandon Phillips, and The Big Bang Theory. My first icon is Ellen who is a stand up comedian who now has her own television talk show. Along with with her daily talk show she does some acting in popular movies from time to time. The second icon is Brandon Phillips who is the second baseman and Gold Glove Award winner for the Cincinnati Reds. Just this year he signed a contract extension for another 6 years. The last icon I went with is The Big Bang Theory. It is a sitcom that shows the humor when you mix the brains and personalities of "geeky" science nerds with a somewhat average girl.

I chose Ellen DeGeneres because I find her to be the funniest comedian and TV show host. Not only did I choose her for her talent but also for the many things that she continues to do for different people. She has went through tough times and had been scrutinized for who she is but overcame them and has since helped the lives of many people. She is a huge role model to a lot of people because of what she stands for (ex. anti-bullying) and the fact that she stands up for herself. On almost every episode of her talk show she is helping a family out by giving them money, a car, or a place to live. She does a lot for different people as well as her community.

The main reason I chose Brandon Phillips is because I just can't get enough of him and also because I LOVE the Cincinnati Reds! My fiance actually proposed to me on opening day of this year, so that could be another reason! Brandon happens to be the best second basemen and he is another person who donates so much of his own time to show love to his fans as well as his city. He is always the first one on the field to give away autographs and get pictures with his fans and he is constantly doing prize giveaways throughout the city as well through his Twitter. I'm already pumped for next season!

The last icon that I chose is The Big Bang Theory because it is one of the best sitcoms out there today (in my opinion, of course!). I love the comedy and dry humor as well as the references to science and the fact that the show deals with some real situations that everyone goes through. They may not turn out to be that funny in real life, but everyone can relate to at least one instance. This is the show that I watch when I have free time to unwind and relax.

What is Pop Culture?

Popular culture can be expressions, beliefs, attitudes, entertainment, movies, books, interests, and even styles or fads. It is a topic or idea that begins to emerge at a specific time and in a specific group. Popular culture is subject to change and often an initiator of change. To me, popular culture is something that is trending during a specific period of time. When I think of popular culture I picture the hot clothing styles for the season, the new movie that everyone is talking about, or maybe the current events in the news. There are certain pop culture items or ideas that have been around for many years such as Barbie and there are also some that fade fairly quickly, for example, Silly Bandz. They were the new hot item for the younger generation and stayed around for a year or so before getting replaced by something new. Popular culture is continually changing because the beliefs, attitudes, and taste of society is changing as well. When I think of popular culture in a business environment I immediately focus on marketing. In order to market your product or service you must know what the current pop culture topics are. It is important for a business to know and understand the trends in the market and learn about their customers. If your business is a service then it is important to be able to stay up to date with pop culture. You don’t want to fall behind with technology or current issues around the community. I currently work for a landscaping company and in order for our business to stay up to date, it is important to learn about our target market and know what the customer wants. There are different styles of landscaping and if you aren’t continually learning and keeping up with trends then you will lose customers because they might not want a look from 20 years ago. It’s also important for us to keep up with technology in order to do our accounting as well as our designing. I chose the Beats by Dre headphones as my pop culture artifact because this is a newer item that came out a few years ago that continues to be in high demand. The younger generation thinks they are cool if they own them and others love them because of the high quality sound that you get. The idea has been around for many years but this item is said to give you the sound that the artists hear originally and also provides noise cancelling. This is a representation of what famous artists and younger generations are wanting because they have more access to music on iPods and smartphones.